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Medusa
Medusa was the sole inhabitable planet of the Basilisk System and homeworld of the Medusans. It was located near the Basilisk Terminus of the Manticore Wormhole Junction, which brought a lot of traffic to the system and the planet. Planetary Characteristics Medusa had a forty degree tilt on its axis. From orbit, it had a gray-green color, with huge polar ice caps. The narrow seas had a gray-green color with soupy sludge of plankton and large plants. The planet's climate was considered brutal even with a cooler primary star. ( ) Geography *'Delta' – the region was defined by a confluence of a large river and some other rivers or delta branches. The numerous Medusan city-states as well as the Star Kingdom of Manticore's government compound were located there. The Delta region contained: ** Sand River ** Three Forks River ** Dauguaar * Madcat Mountains - a mountain range neighboring Mossyback * Mossyback: ** Mossback Mountains, Mossyback Range ** Mossyback Plateau - seven or eight hundred kilometers north of the Delta ** Muddy Wash Valley *'Outback' – native population of that region was strongly influenced by its shamans ( ) Biology Animal life was based on trilateral symmetry (Jehrn, Bekhnor, large insects). Floral life was based on moss only - Medusa had around a million different types of moss and it came in all sizes from grass size to bush size to tree size (eg. Tilik moss). Government The native Medusans had a form of city-state government for each group of their kind. The planet itself fell under the leadership of the Minister for Medusan Affairs. The Resident Commissioner for Planetary Affairs was responsible for the protection of the natives, with his Native Protection Agency acting as the planetary police. The entire planet was set up as a reservation for the Medusans. Under the Act of Annexation, the Medusans gained self-autonomy at the earliest practical moment. Under an act of Parliament, nobody was allowed to give the Medusans anything more powerful than muscle-powered technology. The Havenite Government kept a consulate to one of the Medusan city-states rather than to Manticore, so that they were able to help spread propaganda against Manticore. The commissioner's compound was the de-facto capital of Medusa. The compound was small, but had limited traffic control capabilities; it had been designed to handle the off-world traffic that came to Medusa. The compound was located in the Delta region, and a Medusan city was near. The [[HMS Fearless (CL-56)|HMS Fearless]] inspection team set up a base in the compound. ( ) Society and Culture Basilisk had an native sentient species known as Medusans. They were trilaterally symmetrical, walking on three stilt-like legs, which resulted in the nickname "Stilties". At the time of their discovery, Medusans were a primitive, nomadic culture, near that of Bronze Age humanity. By 1900 PD, some tribes had settled into city-states. After the annexation of the Basilisk System, limited trade relations were set up on the planet in the various enclave areas, and in time there was more and more pressure in the recent years to open up trade with the Medusans. The main items of trade for the Medusans were Tilik moss and Bekhnor hides. ( ) History The planet and the entire Basilisk System were annexed by the Star Kingdom of Manticore to protect the Basilisk Terminus. Medusa became a protectorate, and the planet became off-limits to non-Medusans, minus the trading enclaves. In 1900 PD, the planet was the object of the People's Republic of Haven's plan to expand to the system because of the wormhole terminus. One of the means to reach that goal was the introduction of new, more potent forms of the Medusan drug Mekoha. In 1900 PD, the Medusans organized under leadership and arms gained from the People's Republic of Haven. A group of Medusans attacked the SKM government compound, but were defeated by Marines from the Fearless and NPA agents. ( ) For her years of service as Resident Commissioner, Estelle Matsuko was created Baroness Medusa by Queen Elizabeth III. ( ) References Category:Planets Category:Manticoran Planets